[Article] Third-level students face major increase in registration charges

Third-level students face major increase in registration charges

DEAGLÁN de BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent

Mon, Oct 06, 2008

THE GOVERNMENT has decided to make a substantial increase in registration charges for third-level students and this could also mean that tuition fees will not be reintroduced, senior political sources told The Irish Timeslast night.

The Cabinet decided at a pre-budget meeting on Saturday to increase third-level registration fees very significantly.

The maximum fee at present is €980 but this will now be sharply increased, although it will not be as high as double the present amount.

Senior political sources indicated that this would "naturally" mean tuition fees would not be reintroduced. The tuition fees issue is being considered separately from this year's budgetary process.

Registration fees, which are officially imposed for administration purposes, have increased by several multiples since the ending of tuition fees in 1996. Critics say the registration process is being used as a "back door" to replace income lost by the abolition of tuition fees.

The Government is also to abandon the remaining elements of its decentralisation programme as part of the forthcoming budget, with an estimated possible saving of €400 million. Elements of the programme which are already well under way will not be halted.

The €1.2 billion Metro North rail project in Dublin is under discussion and a decision may be taken about its future at tomorrow's Cabinet meeting. There are sharply conflicting signals about the Government's intentions.

Although Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, speaking in the Dáil last week, reiterated the Government's commitment to the project, other Government sources are less sanguine about its prospects.

Sources close to the Department of Transport insisted yesterday: "There are no plans to delay or scrap the project. Speculation to the contrary is wrong. The Minister for Transport and the Minister for Finance together are committed to its delivery."

However, other Government sources were far less confident that the project would survive in anything close to its present form. The issue is expected to come up at Cabinet tomorrow.

A special Cabinet meeting at Government Buildings last Saturday discussed and decided many budget issues in relation to current and capital expenditure. Revenue issues and questions relating to taxation are to be discussed tomorrow.

The Saturday Cabinet meeting,which was described as "fairly intense", began at 10am and continued until 4.30pm, with the discussion continuing over a short lunch break. A key objective was to secure the maximum sustainable reductions in public expenditure with a view to minimising any possible taxation measures.

Overseas development aid is to be reduced in line with a reduction in gross domestic product, but it is not expected that the aim of achieving the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of GDP by 2012 will be abandoned.

There will be a revision of priorities in the National Development Plan and local authority financing is also under close scrutiny with a view to making savings.

© 2008 The Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/1006/1222959411162_pf.html

(Emphasis added)

Tom Dunne

Does anyone else think that first few paragraphs are a poorly-written, hysteria-inducing diatribe, reeking of tabloid journalism?

It is a sad fact of reality that nothing is free in life, nonsense like this contribute nothing to the debate, especially when put in the mix with infrastructural projects such as the Metro.

Sully

Well it happened. Registration is now €1,500.